Boyne City finalizes community goals for 2012, 15 issues named as priorities

BOYNE CITY -- City commissioners recently established Boyne City's top 15 goals for the coming years, the outcome of a public input campaign launched in January.

Barb Brooks, city administrative assistant, spoke to commissioners last week about the community input process started during the recent winter. From among the comments made two months ago at a public meeting, those submitted in a written survey and those from an online poll, city officials gleaned the 19 most important goals.

Brooks said the ultimate list is "what the city's focus and goals should be for the next few years." The goals will help direct city employees, she said.

Mike Cain, city manager, said commissioners didn't have to approve all 19 on the final recommended list. In fact, they didn't in the end.

"That's not necessarily goal-setting, but list-making," Cain said.

Jim Baumann, executive director at the Boyne Area Chamber of Commerce, chimed in to the conversation. He said survey participants impressed him with their near universal disgust with the lack of progress at the planned Devlon beach club property along the city's Lake Charlevoix shoreline.

"People are just mad about that," Baumann said.

Some commissioners said they wanted to accept all 19 recommended goals without making any changes.

"I'm comfortable using these 19 as a working document," said Tom Neidhamer, city commissioner.

He also pointed out there is a fair amount of overlap between the current recommended goals and those adopted in 2010 after a similar community brainstorming effort.

"I think it proves we are on the same track," Neidhamer said.

Commissioner Laura Sansom said she felt 19 goals made too long a list.

"I think we should trim some," she said.

Brooks said any goals cut from the list are not simply abandoned altogether, but made less of a priority amid the others.

"I think we could maybe do 15, cut it off at 15," said Gene Towne, commissioner.

Ultimately, commissioners struck four recommended goals from the list as either repetitive, assumed or up to law enforcement officers, not elected officials.

Support for an additional grocery store is covered under the second goal, promoting a high-quality, balanced and sustainable community. Also, commissioners struck improvements to the drinking water from the list because the city annually receives good water quality reports, though they acknowledged the water maintains a high mineral content that makes it "hard water."

High traffic speeds are up to law enforcement officers and the promotion of effective government is always an assumed goal among Boyne City's elected officials, they agreed by consensus.

Commissioners unanimously voted to approve the 15-goal list for the Boyne City community.

"I'd like to see us revisit them a little more often throughout the year," said Ron Grunch, mayor.